Statins Don’t Increase Diabetes Complications

Recently, there has been concern that statin drugs might cause type 2 diabetes. While the issue is still under investigation, doctors emphasize that the benefits of statins—namely, in preventing heart disease—outweigh any potential risks for people who already have diabetes. Now, a study of the medical records of nearly 63,000 adults ages 40 and older has found that statins do not appear to raise the risk for diabetes-related eye, nerve, and foot problems among people diagnosed with diabetes while taking the drugs compared with those who were not taking statins when they were diagnosed. In fact, after nearly three years, statin users were significantly less likely to develop those problems, although researchers say more study is needed before any claims of protection can be made. Source:The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, published online Sept. 9, 2014